Lifesavers urge men to swim safely

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Victorian men are four times more likely to drown than women,
new water safety figures reveal.

Of the 46 Victorians who died in the state's waters in the year
to July, 36 were male.

Life Saving Victoria's drowning summary reveals that more than
half of those who drowned were 50 kilometres or further away from
their home.

There was an increase in the number of drownings at inland
waterways, with 21 people dying on lakes and creeks compared with
16 in coastal waters.

And about 56 per cent of the drownings occurred in regional
areas.

Emergency Services Minister Tim Holding said that although there
had been a 33 per cent drop in drownings since 1999, "every
drowning in Victoria is a preventable and avoidable death".

Two mass drownings which lead to the deaths of nine people from
two families at MacKenzie Falls and Warrnambool in the
Christmas-New Year period highlighted the message all Victorians
who were near the water - whether they intended to enter it or not
- needed to be aware of potential dangers, Mr Holding said.

Last Christmas Day, 12-year-old Marina Mir, her father and two
uncles died at MacKenzie Falls in the Grampians. The men had been
trying to save her when she fell in the water. None of them could
swim.

A week later, five members of the same family died at Stingray
Bay near Warrnambool.

Cheryl Burrell, 54, had slipped and fell into the water and her
children and grandchildren rushed to her aid but a large wave swept
them out to sea.

"Most of the people who drowned in these two incidents were
never expecting to go in the water," said Nigel Taylor, chief
executive of Life Saving Victoria.

"They didn't necessarily have the skills to help the people they
were trying to rescue at the time."

"We need to work with the community. We need to make sure more
people in the community are taking some level of responsibility in
how they deal with the aquatic environment and their own water
safety."